Weekend 7-4 to 7-6

Sorry about the late posts I have been busy working and what not.

Roseo's House. 7-5
On Saturday night we were invited to Roseo's house to celebrate his twin daughters first birthday. We arrived slightly late because we had to do some work at the lab. When we got there the party was already underway. We brought our party favors soda and ice cream to the highest titled man of the house and paid our respects. All of Roseo's family was there with numbers that could trump the Maehrs (which is not an easy feat). At a Pohnpeian party instead of sitting around drinking booze everyone sits around and drinks Sakau. Although the celebration is similar in someway to our celebrations the mood is quite different because of the mellowing affects of Sakau. Everyone was sitting outside under a large tin roofed hut. There were three Sakau stones which guests were situated around and two men at each stone pounding, poring, and distributing. While the adults drank outside the children played inside similar to our parties. We were treated to a plate of local cuisine when we arrived which included; surgeon fish sashimi (whole), pasta, grilled chicken, and pork ribs. All were delicious however I waited to eat because we were all enjoying Sakau. After a few cups of Sakau we excused ourselves and headed back to the apartment. It was interesting to see how Pohnpeians celebrate the party was similar to our celebration except booze is replaced by Sakau, and the music is the pounding of Sakau. The night was fun and I slept well that night partly because of the Sakau.

Lunch at Emos's 7-6

On Sunday Emos invited to Kitti where he lives to eat lunch. His wife and sister prepared us a plethora of food which included; Taro soup, fried fish, turkey tail, fresh taro chips, and fried plantains. The lunch was delicious and after a short lay down session we headed down to the local Sakau bar.
The Sakau bars become are the local hangouts and congregation centers. People begin to congregate at them at around 4 and stay however long they desire, or they drink to much Sakau and have to wait until they can walk again. Everyone sits around drinking Sakau while the children play in the streets and enjoy ice pops and sodas. Families will bring a Ukalali and play and sing Pohnpeian songs. The social scene is quite exciting and everyone enjoys themselves as they throw back cup after cup of Sakau. I did quite a bit of drinking because I was responsible for representing the Menwai (white people or foreigners not an offensive term). Wayne our driver was trying to take it easy and Sayuri (our friend from upstairs) could not handle the taste. Therefore, it was up to me to keep us from looking bad. After we finished two big gulps of Sakau between the group we were off. I was quite curious where they got these big gulps being that I have not seen a 7-11 on this Island. We gave Emos and his Wife a ride and dropped them off at another Sakau bar near there house where they said we had to have one more cup. At this point I was pretty Sakaued and I knew that one cup did not mean one cup because I would have to drink Waynes cup and Sayuri's cup as well. Furthermore, one cup never means one cup especially when Emos says it. So, after three and a half cups of Sakau I bought a beer from the store and we got in the car and drove back to our apartment.
On the way back we stopped at the College of Micronesia (COM or the lab) because there was a beautiful sunset and we wanted to take some pictures. I was quite worried that when I stepped out of the car I was going to collapse because of Sakau legs. However, although my legs were wobbly I was able to walk to take some pictures. After our picture taking we went back to the apartment to relax. Wayne and I decided to go out to get something to eat although I was not that hungry I knew I had to eat. The locals say you should always eat after you drink Sakau because it helps prevent a hangover the next morning. We went out to Joy a restaurant slash hotel where I had some Udon. When we got back to the apartment I was quite tired and pretty Sakaued. I crawled into bed and passed out quite easily.
Its Monday here now. Surprisingly I felt pretty good this morning and even better after a cup of coffee. I am looking forward to the week ahead we are planning on hiking to the highest point on the Island which should be challenging, rewarding, and of course fun. I will talk to everyone before I leave.